Pnoy P5.5-b fund for squatters okayed

President Benigno Aquino III has approved a P5.5-billion fund for the resettlement of informal settlers or squatters living in areas that are prone to calamities.

Budget chief Florencio Abad said the amount was released to the National Housing Authority to cover families living in high-risk areas in Metro Manila, Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan, and Pampanga.

“The recent release will allow the NHA to meet the rehousing requirements of families and communities living as informal settlers or currently in high-risk or calamity-stricken areas,” Abad said.

“President Aquino understands the urgency of relocating these residents whose safety must be ensured and protected, especially since the rainy season has begun,” he added.

According to the NHA, the program will cover the provision of 12,227 house and lot packages, 10,188 housing units, and 16,527 lots to beneficiary families nationwide.

At least P4.16 billion will go to NHA-administered rehousing activities, which will also include families displaced from areas earmarked for government infrastructure projects.

Abad said that community facilities such as schools, health centers, multipurpose/livelihood centers, and police outposts will also be built in the new housing sites.

“If we were to merely relocate these communities without accounting for their basic needs, we would be doing the affected families a great disservice. The NHA will see to it that informal settlers will be resettled in homes they can call their own, with schools and community facilities well within reach,” Abad said.

Meanwhile, P1 billion will be directed to local government units outside Metro Manila for the regional resettlement program.

Source:http://news.manilastandardtoday.com/2012/06/04/p5-5-b-fund-for-squatters-okayed/